The Fault in Our Stars

"What a slut time is. She screws everybody.”

It's a teenage love story. But if you are a parent, it's hard reading this story without having to think of how far you would will yourself to sacrifice for the sake of your sick child. It's just heart breaking. It hurts to see your child suffer the consequences of something that is not of his or even your own doing. That your lot is predetermined and all you can do is live with it, cope with it and hope that you can buy yourself some time to accept the inevitable. And when it's time, no matter how hard you've psyched yourself up that things are happening for the better, you still find yourself hopeful. That you had another day, another chance, another free pass. Then you fall into the pit of rethinking things over and over again, analyzing what you could have done differently to alter the course of things. 

The ordeal that Gus and Hazel Grace had to go through, it's tough. To be sick for a very long time and have practice-dying episodes over and over again, will definitely give you a different perspective of dying. You get to become one of the few lucky ones who get to embrace the eventuality of their demise and really prepare for it. I guess this is where the value of a support group figures into the picture. When you are sick, beyond anything that you can handle, you look for help, where help is available. You need all the reinforcement that you can get to help you fortify your resolve, to give you that outlook that keeps you afloat amidst the bitter realities of your illness. With their help, the pain will be more bearable and you will begin to see things in a more rational manner. Then you get to start planning things, pick what you want to wear for your own funeral, be in on the decision making on how you would want things to go the day you leave. Even hold your own pre-funeral eulogy which I think is sad, but makes perfect sense. After all, shouldn't the departed hear what people around him is supposed to say about him while he is still present? It really struck a chord for me. With my mom diagnosed with cancer, it led me to thinking how I'd eulogize her and how much of what I would have wanted to say I've already told her while she is still here.We're not really people who like to talk about dying or making plans for how things should be dealt with when it's time to go. I would not want her to think that I'd love to see her go. But if I'd have it my way, I would want her to know, in a few words or so, how much she means to me and how her loss would leave a void in my life that none could ever replace.

The movie also made me realize that losing my son and my husband could be the death of me. I don't know if I would ever survive it knowing that as I think about it now, I could picture my whole world crumbling down and me sinking into an oblivion I would not want to resurface from.

I'd like to say a prayer for all the families out there battling cancer. I pray for strength so they could carry on and resolve to move forward. Keep the faith! 

 

Starting Over Again (2014)

I've been into watching Tagalog movies of late. It all started with On the Job, which I watched because it was highly publicized and got some good reviews from esteemed film critics (whose opinion about the movie I don't quite share, just saying). And then there's Bride-For-Rent . I am not a KimXi fan but since my new supervisor loves Kim and Xian and I wanted us to have something to talk about other than work, I did go and watched it. (Happy that I did, picked up some great advice about marriage from the side stories of couples that they interjected into the movie). And then, there's Starting Over Again. This one, I really wanted to see, and I'm glad I did.

From rappler.com :

In Starting Over Again, former lovers Ginny (Tony Gonzaga) and Marco (Piolo Pascual) have long gone their separate ways, but the circumstances of their breakup have left both of them with unanswered questions.

When Ginny receives a postdated letter from Marco, she sees it as a second chance to rekindle what she had lost with her former boyfriend. And when a business venture brings the two together, Ginny takes every opportunity to win Marco back, even if it means stepping in between him and Patty (Iza Calzado), his current girlfriend.

Unlike most mainstream love stories, the details of Ginny and Marco’s break-up are mostly kept secret. But as the film cautiously moves forward, their past is slowly unraveled. We move backwards and forwards through their relationship and soon discover that even the most endearing of love stories can be riddled with flaws.

The movie is not without its flaws. I found Toni's soft-toned unblemished face too distracting. Thank God Piolo's pores were visible on screen. That could have been more bothersome! I love Toni's antics, all the when-things-can-go-wrong-it-will-go-wrong moments. Her crying, though, was too theatrical, for me, it was anything but au naturel in contrast to Piolo's eyes brimmed with tears. It was a bit distracting seeing Bryan Santos fiddling his phone through most of his scenes. Was he even in character or he was just being himself? Beauty Gonzales did justice to being the Bisaya roommate/ friend. But you could tell that she was super-conscious during her "Ang Hope parang drugs yan, nakaka-addict" scene. I didn't like idea of the OFW mom leaving her family and starting a new life abroad. Personal preference, just don't like it. With a construction project like that, I can't believe there were only a handful of people at work, but then of course that's one detail you can let pass (for budget considerations, perhaps?).

There were lots of things that I love about the movie. I love Iza's character Patty. She makes a believable Ilongga, or at least the epitomized version - composed, slow to anger, maasikaso and all. There's background music in almost all of the scenes, it served the purpose of putting on a lively vibe into the scenes. So I guess it helped to induce the emotions that it needed to elicit from the audience. I love the wackiness of the story, the metaphors, the special participation of several characters towards the end of the movie and the last scene, the perfect! 

I have to say that the movie has mass appeal. What makes it click is you can easily see yourself into one or many of the situations in the story. [SPOILER ALERT] A girl, finding herself falling deeply in love with someone she admires. And then, the guy slips into mediocrity, content and without any desire to pursue his dreams. It's disheartening and frustrating, especially when the girl sees that the guy is actually okay with it because he knows that he's got someone who loves him no matter what.  And couldn't so much as broach the topic without hurting the guy's ego, she leaves without telling him the real reason why. And that breaks his heart. And then, she returns and she sees that he's a changed man, and she realizes that she still has feelings for him and wants to pursue him again. Which brings to mind a quote in another Tagalog movie starring John Lloyd and Bea. When John Lloyd said, "She loved me at my worst, you had me at my best."

I appreciate the fact that the movie didn't have to end the way Tagalog movies always do - for the couple to get back together. Because in reality, you don't always end up with your ex without having to cause havoc in the lives of others. I appreciate that they chose to take that path. Because love does not always have to be spectacular. It may not be exciting. But it could be certain. And secure. The kind of love that you would like to nurture and see through eternity.

I look forward to seeing more Tagalog movies this year. I hope they keep it interesting so more and more people would want to go and watch it in the cinemas rather than somewhere else!

Tangkilikin nating and sariling atin!




  

2009 Reading List

I'm not really and avid reader, but last year, I really committed myself to reading be it for leisure, for knowledge or even for the mere purpose of passing time time. Here are the ones that really got my attention.

Chick Lit, thanks to Sophie Kinsella's not-a-care-in-the-world characters both in the Shopaholic Series and Remember me.

Neil Gaiman Collection, which I started with his compilation of short stories, then The Graveyard Book and Startdust, which I read to see if it was anything better than the movie (yes it was). And Coraline, before I went to watch the movie.

The Twilight Series, because yes, it was in everybody's reading list. But also because it was juvenile (Twilight), heartbreaking (New Moon), fickle (Eclipse) and vindicating (Breaking Dawn).

I saw the trailer of Where the Wild Things Are and decided to read the book with my son, It was.....let's just say it's not one of those books that you read with your 5-year old son and forget about it one you reached the last page. There's just so many things to explain and so many things to process for me and my son to get the most out of it.

Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, whose reviews got into me. I might have ingested most parts of it as I could still hear parts of it wringing in my ears. Stories about the New York City police department, Paul Revere, mavens, connectors, the magic number and more. So when I saw that Malcolm Gladwell got a new book, The Outliers, I just couldn't pass on the chance of reading it. True enough it was as educating as Tipping Point was.

Then of course there is Freakonomics, which was written by an economist and everything that I didn't expect a book on economics could be. It was as informative as Gladwell's., its discussion on the applications of the game theory, asking questions about similar behaviors among sumo wrestlers and teachers, the economics of drug dealing, and how penalties distorts economic decision making. Super cool!

And later this year, I stumbled on TED and learned about Daniel Gilbert's book Stumbling on Happiness which doesn't talk about the perfect formula for happiness, but discusses how rational decisions can cause irrational unhappiness.

This year, I hope I'd do better, bringing more serious materials into my reading list . I'd definitely look forward to reading Superfreakonomics. And I'll try to finish whatever material I started to read (Still have 3 books hanging over my head). Good luck to me!

Felicia's Pastry Cafe

By chance I was able to land at Lori Baltazar's Food Blog Dessert Comes First and learned about this dessert haven in Bacolod called Felicia's. She wrote about her trip to the place with so much gusto that she had me redoing my whole Saturday to-do-list to squeeze in a "gotta taste it to believe moment."

We came by the Cafe at around 11:30am, quite an odd time to stop by for desserts. The moment we stepped into the cafe, my eyes were transfixed into the rows of assorted mini-cakes and pielets - mocha caramel mousse, banoffee, sugarfree apple pielets, pandan mousse, chocolate cakes and more! Overwhelmed, I actually forgot all about the sans rival which Ms. Baltazar referred to as phenomenal. Instead, we ordered what we wanted to eat at that very instant - pecan pie for the hubby, cookies and cream cheesecake for Koy and a blueberry french macaroon for me. The hubby was satisfied with his choice as the pie wasn't as sweet as they had it in Calea. Koy liked the cheesecake too, but didn't care to finish it (he's not so fond of cakes). He traded his cake for a few bites of my blueberry macaroon, which he liked better especially because it turned his tongue blue.

After exchanging views about our desserts and engaging our food server in a little chitchat, we learned that the Felicia's has been around for a long time already known to many for its sweet creations such as the Turron de Pili, Almondettes and Almond Crunch. It was only in October 2008, however, that the Pastry Cafe came into operation carrying cakes and pastries which eventually has gathered a following among the locals.

Before we knew it, we've already wiped clean our forks and satisfied our cravings for sweets. So much for desserts-before-lunch. To cap our Felicia's experience we bought ensaymada (or was it bibingka?) for our afternoon snack.

I didn't fall in love with Felicia's at first sight, but I'm pretty sure I'd like to go back and have some of those sans rival!

To know more about Felicia's you view their Facebook page here >>>.

Note: Digiscrap resources by Maya.

Wall-E Spotted

The workings of the trash compactor robot named Wall-e has been discovered near the peaceful Rolling Hills Memorial Chapel in Bacolod City. Is it not that it is supposed to start doing its work on 2105? Have we been fast-tracking our wasteful ways thereby laying the grounds for the establishment of a super-mega landfill that necessitates the abandonment of the earth we live in and the death of all life forms? Has doomsday come before Christmas?


Echos lang! Been meaning to post this pictures online for the longest time ever! I've been passing by the shortcut road at 27th Lacson Street to evade the traffic at Crossing Ramos since time in immemorial. But I never really got excited about these pile of junks until Wall-E.

I love this movie, Koy loved it too. He was 4 when he first watched it and he was deeply moved (spoiler alert! read at your own risk, if you haven't seen the movie yet) during that scene when Eve didn't recognize Wall-E. It's a good movie to watch with children. It teaches kids about the environment, waste management, learning to cope with whatever blessings you have, resourcefulness and companionship.

Wall-E is now available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Order and own one now! >>>

Watch Slumdog Millionaire

Included in TIME's Top 10 Movies of 2008.

One young man, Jamal (Dev Patel), has miraculously, or suspiciously, spanned those two worlds. A tea server, or chai wallah, for a telephone marketing company, he has won a fortune on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The show's host (Anil Kapoor) is so skeptical of Jamal's ability to answer the questions that he has policemen try to torture the truth out of the lad. His explanations all relate to his hard life as a homeless orphan in the company of his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and, not often enough, with the winsome, consistently abused Latika (Freida Pinto). Salim is a type-A troublemaker, a fighter and conniver, restless and reckless, and thus the ideal complement to Jamal's caution, sensitivity and resilience. These flashbacks constitute the body of a sharp, teeming, dark, very romantic film. - www.time.com

This Indian movie deserved my Wow! I actually enjoyed that one! moment. The movie was charming, easy to follow and very much relatable (and it wasn't TH - trying hard, if I may add). It showed the conditions of the poor in India, organized crime, and crooks that ruled the streets. Yet, never dwelling too much to outshine the movie's plot. For instance, there was this scene of the women washing clothes on a murky brown water river. Also, the public toilets where the poop fall directly into the swamp. You watch scenes like that and you know they are serious societal conditions, but before you can even dwell on that thought, the movie takes you to more important development on the lives of the character that eventually lead you to put that thought on hold so you can concentrate on the story.

Watch the trailer here and go and watch the movie! go, go, go!



Digression: I've been entranced by Indian films since my melancholy nights in Dubai circa 1999. It kept me company during those times when I missed home, well, cable TV to be exact. Reminded me of summer afternoons and those films I watched on PPP (Piling-Piling Pelikula) . Those 70s and early 80s films featuring the likes of Rogelio dela Rosa, Charito Solis, Nida Blanca and Gloria Romero. The Indian movies that I saw, though, centered more on the bare-chested men than their damsels in distress. There were a lot of dancing too which required a lot of hip work and the songs, so LSS-ish!

Forest Park, Bacolod City

I didn't have any expectations of the place save for the animals, which I wanted my son to see (whatever they were). So when we got there I went, "Wow! this IS a park!"

It's an enclosed property (much like Eden Natural Park in Davao) only 30 times or so smaller. The greenery was a feast for the eyes. There were three playground sites complete with monkey bars, swings and see-saws for kids and feeling-kids. Lovers could take a stroll and settle on the many wooden benches around the park. We actually saw at least three pairs during our visit. Hmmmm, was that other girl still in her school uniform?

The lagoons and the bridges made a perfect site for the much needed emo moment. I made my mother pose in one of them, choreographed it even to make it more dramatic (echos!). Picnickers could bring their own food or order from the canteen located near the mini-zoo. We bumped into a few teenagers on the way to the cottage areas carrying bagfuls of junkies. I hope they know how to dispose of their garbage properly.

For the animal lovers, there were the rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, snake and monkeys in the cages and the kois in the ponds. One of the resident monkeys (lolo monkey, we called him) was a bit hostile though, banging on the cage and threatening to bite us. That's just because I touched the baby monkey's back a few times.

If action is your game, you can also check out the airsoft game site and ask around about memberhip.

Forest Park is located near St. Francis Village in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City. It is open from 7am-6pm daily.

Click to see more pictures >>>

The Lovely Bones (2002)

Written by: Alice Sebold

Plot Introduction provided in Wikipedia:

"In 1973, a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon is raped, murdered, and dismembered by a neighbor. Over the next few years she watches from a personalized heaven as her family and friends deal with their grief. She sometimes becomes angry and frustrated from the choices her family makes while looking over them."

It's another death story told in a rather creative way (If you've read Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven you'de know what I mean). It's actually a poignant recount of the events that follow the death of a daughter/sister/friend/crush/schoolmate.

The story of a brutal death does not end when a body is found or a murderer served with a sentence. It lingers. Like the wringing sound of a pulled spring. Each reverberation echoes the pain felt by family members, friends, relatives and the whole community touched by the deceased.

Death means something to the dead as it does to the living. The letting go part is never easy. Painful, especially when death comes in a rather unexpected and brutal way. The father, not willingto move on, consumed by anger. The other daughter who just wanted to be seen for who she is and not whose sister she was. The younger brother who barely new what gone even meant. The mother, struggling and finally giving up on family life.

If I were to dream of my own heaven it would contain a placid lake with me floating on it. The wind caressing my cheeks giving me a little push while I move past beds of lilies and lotus. It would be eternally misty, as in early morning.